Pizzeria Ortica

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psboston7

Joined 11 years ago

Good Pizza. Thomas Jefferson (the boyfriend) and I came here last Saturday evening around 6:00pm. We had went the Sunday before but they were closed... NOTE to Pam they are NOT open on Sundays! :)

Thomas had Pizza Alla Norma which had Cherry tomatoes, basil, eggplant, smoked mozzarella, ricotta salata and I had the Pear and pecorino tortelli, brown butter, sage my dish was bleh had no real distinguishing flavors =/ his was OUTSTANDINGI kept giving him the evil eye (like how you gonna just eat that in front of me while I sit here with my boring entree =[ Service was fine we sat outside on the Patio. Note to anyone coming along for a Friday or Saturday evening they take reservations in advance and if you arrive to eat without reservations 9 times out of 10 you will be offered seating at the bar or outside as they are "fully committed" to the evening reservations for inside table service... with that being said I would hop over to opentable for a reservation or call them in advance.

BTW all the plates we watched go by looked delicious and then we watched them clear and they were scraped CLEAN!! lol :)

Wine selection had a nice selection and drink lists were interesting. Parking is $8.00 located behind the restaurant. We drove over to the parking lot across from Savannah Restaurant and Jerry's Famous Deli and parked for free.

Respectfully Reviewed

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BrunoBolisarte

Joined 4 years ago

Best haute pizza around. I'm a real fan of the new Southern Italian trend, and Pizzeria Ortica is hard to beat. The appetizers were delicious and a tad less expensive than other such restaurants, the wines by the glass were unique and tasty, and of course, the pizza. The perfect combination of chewy and crisp, with delicious, well-chosen ingredients. Highly recommended, all around.

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symantix

Joined 9 years ago

Kick's Mozza's Butt All Day Long!!. Having tried Silverton & Batali's famous Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles just a couple months ago, we found it did not live up to the hype. Finally, OC was to get its own version of an "L.A. style" hotspot with Chef David Meyer.

Even though it occupies a former steakhouse's location, when you walk in you can't help but think Ortica was modeled very much after Mozza. I immediately thought it was a knock-off, but then found both the hosts and servers to be very warm and welcoming - unlike Mozza.

The tuna appetizer was so-so, but the smoked halibut was good. The Kabocha app was a touch acidic, but had a wonderful rich flavor I could repeat. Now for the stars of the meal: the pappardelle with lamb ragu was simply divine. The richness of the ricotta is in perfect harmony with the meaty ragu. The margherita pizza had by far the best thin crust I have ever tasted. Not too salty, not too bland. Not too dry, not too mushy. Really, it was perfect!

And the brussel sprouts. Oh my goodness. If only mothers across the country could learn to prepare veggies this good, kids would eat them all day long. Seriously, I would list Chef David's bruxelles as one of my top 5 dishes of all time. Beyond perfect. Michelin 3-star caliber.

Desserts: both the tiramisu and budino were excellent, and both had a nice salty caramel note to them.

Wine: this is the disappointing part. I don't mind spending a lot on wine...I regularly order $15+ glasses. However, the 3 wines I had (all Italian) were between $9 and $18 and I honestly would have preferred Two Buck Chuck over all of them. Honestly, Italian wine and I have never gotten along very well, so I am predisposed to not care for them. I would have preferred some Napa or South America on the "by the glass" list.

Service was great, personable and friendly. My water glass did go empty twice, but his personality made up for it.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Editorial Review. David Myers (Sona, Boule, Comme Ca) is at it again with his first Italian restaurant, a Tuscan-style neighborhood pizzeria in Orange County. (Photo: Andy Pak)